Stand Strong or Fall Hard
by HeroMarie
Summary: Penny is Ponyboy Curtis' girlfriend. They are so happy. Or so everyone thought. When Penny gets mixed up with a slimy Soc named Paul, will her life be eternally changed...for the worse? Trust is a tricky thing, and it gives you the choice to stand strong or fall hard. [warning for mature content; smoking, alcohol, language, and censored sexual content later on.]
1. Chapter 1

Penny glared at Ponyboy, tears welling up in her clear blue eyes. "If you cared about me like you say you do," she began, her voice low and calm, though it hiccupped with falling tears. "Then you would forgive me."

Ponyboy had tears in his own eyes, though they didn't spill onto his cheeks like Penny's did. "What you did is so out of line…" he said seething.

"I didn't-"Penny started angrily. Then she stopped. What was the point! He didn't believe her anyways.

"You did." Ponyboy sighed. "And that's why we're not together no more."

Penny looked down at her busted up blue tennis shoes. "I'm going then." She whispered, admitting it to herself. She looked up at the boy she loved dearly, more as a companion then a mate. She met his eyes, making her own water even more. "Goodbye Ponyboy." She nodded, extending her hand.

"Goodbye Penny." He answered sadly, shaking her hand softly and faking a smile.

Penny left the house calmly, but as soon as she hit the cement she started running, and she never really stopped.

It had been two days. Penny still hadn't come back. Ponyboy didn't sleep, he didn't eat. He paced his house, a cigarette between his teeth. Sodapop tried to calm him down, but he shrugged off every comforting hand, and blocked out every reassuring word. Nothing could console him. His mind was set on Penny, and nothing else.

"C'mon Pony, you gotta eat somthin' or all this smokin' you do will kill you!" Sodapop protested.

Ponyboy shook his head. "I should have been nicer to her…" He mumbled, shaking his head.

Sodapop sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Pony, if she wanted to go and kiss a Soc, that's her decision…"

"But maybe she wouldn't have if I had—"

"Pony." Sodapop took him by the shoulders. "There's nothing you could have done."

Penny kicked the ashes of her old home. What had happened to her life? Ponyboy didn't know half the story. She could barely recall all of it. But she knew how it had begun:

The teal blue mustang pulled over as she walked home from the gas station. Her eyes drifted to an empty pop bottle lying on the curb a few feet away. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she bit down on her tongue to keep her fear off of her countenance.

Paul Holden rolled down his window. "Hey baby." He cooed, giving Penny a crooked smirk as he greeted her.

She glared at him. "Keep driving buddy boy."

Another Soc she didn't recognize opened the passenger side door and pushed her down into the seat. "Awww, don't you need a ride home sweet stuff?" She pulled away from him, shrinking down into her seat. It's not worth loosing blood. And she did need a ride home.

He closed the door behind her and waved a finger at her with a smirk as they drove off. Her heart was racing. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she twisted her thin blonde-brown ponytail around her finger. She looked down at her apparel, dark denim shorts, and a yellow-green V-neck shirt with a beige tank top underneath. She wishes she had worn something a bit more covering, as Paul placed a rough, callous hand across the pocket of Penny's shorts. She suppressed a terrified whimper. "Please don't touch me." She requested breathily.

He chuckled and rubbed his hand over her leg. "You're cute Pen."

Her face turned bright red. "Don't" she squeaked. She was committed to Ponyboy. She loved Ponyboy. All she could think about was Ponyboy.

"You're okay." He fondled the hem of her shirt.

As Penny was about to protest, the car jerked to the side and Paul pulled into his big fancy house's driveway. Penny whined from somewhere pathetic deep inside her. She knew where this was going, and she didn't like it. Not one bit. She had heard way too many horror stories…

She yelped as Paul grabbed her hands and led her inside.

He handed her a metal water bottle. "Thirsty?" He asked innocently.

She held it gingerly. In all honestly, she was parched. She opened the lid and sniffed the liquid inside. Water? She took a long drink. She immediately felt the alcohol coursing through her veins. Not water. Definitely not water. She cried out. "No no no no no, this is not okayyyy…." She slurred, staggering to the couch across the room.

Paul laughed harshly. "Thought you greasers were used to drink."

Penny's head bobbed on her shoulders. "Please just take me home."

The boy thought for a minute. "Have a little more, and then I'll take you." He handed her a flask.

She took a sip, and then sputtered, spitting it out. This was much stronger than before. Paul watched her carefully.

She tipped the flask back and managed to swallow the toxin.

She felt so guilty. This was awful. How could she!? She was betraying Pony, and she was betraying herself…

The sudden surge of drink knocked her out cold.

Penny shakes her head. "Snap out of it." She scolds herself.

The last image she allows is the look on Ponyboy's face as Paul grabbed Penny by the shoulders, then held the back of her head as he gave her a long kiss on the lips. He couldn't hear her scream through the pressure on her lips. He never saw her run off, he never saw Paul chasing after her. He never saw him hit her. Ponyboy never saw what really happened.


	2. Chapter 2

Penny curled her grey hoodie over her head and around her shivering frame. "Why me?" She mumbled hoarsely. A gentle yet deep voice shocked her out of her frozen stupor.

Two-Bit Mathews extended a friendly hand to the girl. "Ain't you Pony's girl?" He asked, helping her up.

Penny was glad to see a familiar face. She shook her head slowly. All of the colors around her swirled before her eyes and she stumbled, Two-Bit grabbing her shoulders to steady her, her sweatshirt hood falling and returning to her back.

That's when he noticed. One eye was purple and swollen. There were three or four holes and tears in her jeans, and a yellowish bruise decorated her right wrist.

He muttered a curse. "What happened to you, huh?"

Penny suppressed a chuckle. "Too much"

Two-Bit gave a sorry smile. "Let's get you home," he offered, helping her to his car.

Penny sighed, knowing what would happen.

And she was right.

She slipped through the door, hoping to be as silent as possible. "There she is!" A masculine voice groaned from upstairs. His feet came thundering down, and Penny pressed herself against the closed door. Her father grabbed her cheeks in one of his strong hands, puckering her lips at him. "Where have you been!?" He demanded, searching her face as she offered no response. He stared at her a moment and spat insults at her, before throwing her to the ground and thundering back up the stairs. Penny sighed and got up, dusting herself off and retreating to her own room across the hall.

She crawled into her bed and fell asleep.

Ponyboy met Two-Bit back at the lot. "Didja find her?"

"Yeah I found 'er"

"And?"

"And she went home."

"Is she okay?"

"No."

"What!?"

"She scared and hungry, Pony, what do you expect?!"  
Ponyboy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…"

He still loved her. Really he did. He knew that couldn't have been what it looked like, but it couldn't have been much else either.

_That night…_

Penny shook, struggling to stay awake as blood drained from her pale frame. A piece of glass lay on the ground beside her, stained red. She looked up at the brick walls surrounding her, too weak to stand, or shift from the crumpled heap she formed in the dark alleyway. Suddenly, Ponyboy, equipped with a jar of fireflies, was at her side. "Penny!" he wailed.

She shivered in response to his touch as he pulled her into his arms.

"Penny…I'm so sorry…"

She leaned her head against his chest.

"Stay with me…we'll get help, it's gonna be okay, I promise it'll all be okay…"

She shivered and shook.

"Please, Penny, hold on…"

Penny took a gasping breath. "Pony" she coughed.

"Shhh. Don't talk to me Penny, save your energy." She fell back into his arms, weak from loss of blood.

"They beat you up real good didn't they…" Ponyboy winced, examining her torn skin and clothes.

Her eyes were dropping shut.

"Penny! Penny please, don't, please, Penny stay with me."

Johnny put a hand on Ponyboy's shoulder. "Don't worry about her Pony. Its alright."

Dally opened the jar of fireflies, letting them escape into the night sky.

Penny went limp in Pony's arms, and the world went dark.

Penny woke up shaking in a cold sweat.

Ponyboy screamed himself awake.


End file.
